The Line Working Title
by Kotarou-sama
Summary: The classroom door opened, a beautiful girl entered. Her long blond hair, braided down her back ending in a black ribbon, waved when she moved, slowly she faced the class. Her eyes were red like molten lava, yet it appeared as if the fire had died out, not even a sizzle was left. AU. R&R.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Thirty-two pairs of eyes stared at her, not that she really noticed any of them, and then with a short breath to calm her nerves she started of, "Hello, my name is Fate Testarossa. My hobby is reading." after the all too abbreviated introduction, the teacher pointed to an empty chair and Fate immediately moved to it before the teacher could give instructions. As she was moving to the chair a girl next to her looked at her, she then quietly said, "My name Nanoha, it's nice to meet you, Fate-chan." "uh." That was the only reply Fate could give to those bright blue eyes. Class started and class ended, as a final remark the teacher turned to Fate and then Nanoha, "Takamachi-san, please help Testarossa-san familiarize herself with the school." The blue-eyed girl nodded enthusiastically.

The whole class was looking at Fate with curious eyes, Nanoha shooed them away and turned to Fate, "Fate-chan, what would you like to do for lunch? I can show you the cafeteria, or if you already have a lunch box I can take you to a nice spot outside?" Fate slowly opened her backpack and grabbed the lunch box inside, for an instant she considered going with the blue-eyed girl, "Don't worry." Fate said in soft and quiet, almost inaudible voice. She proceeded to get up and leave the classroom, going down several stairs she then left the building.

There in the back of the school, near the field she sat down next to a large tree. Unpacking her lunch and lost in thought, Fate didn't notice when someone sat down next her. "I want to be your friend, Fate-chan." The statement was clear, and the voice belonged to that blue-eyed girl, Nanoha. Fate jumped from the sudden shock, turning towards the voice she answered in quiet and sad voice, "No you don't. I'm not someone, you should be friends with, blue-eyes." the last part came out in a harsh and sarcastic tone, much to Fate's embarrassment. Instantly she stood up, dusted herself of and started to walk away when the blue-eyed girl spoke, "That's _my_ choice, not _yours_, Fate-chan. Hey, what about your lunch?" "Don't care..." Fate replied in a dead voice. "All right, then I'll eat it."

After school Fate found herself in a strange situation, a pair of blue eyes followed her, exactly seven steps behind. Ignoring the other girl she continued on home. In front of her house she walked up the driveway, the blue-eyed girl however stopped and called out, "Could you spare something to drink? I'm actually quite thirsty..." Fate pushed the button on the garage remote, sending the door up to the ceiling and walked inside. A moment later she emerged and tossed the blue-eyed girl a bottle of water. "Nyahahaha... Thanks." The cute response made her blush in embarrassment, she went back into the garage and brought out a large toolbox, the blue eyes sparkled in wonder.


	2. Beginnings

**Beginnings**

The morning light was streaming through the closed curtains, and on the desk a small cellphone was vibrating and playing a merry tune. Nanoha sleepily moved her hand to the phone, as her balance shifted, she fell face down on the floor. Then just as an insult, the bump caused the cellphone tumble from desk and hit her on the head.  
The girl groaned in pain and embarrassment, but slowly raised her head. Getting up, she moved her hand to take the phone and turn off the alarm. In a sleepy haze she moved to the cupboard and started to get dressed. Twenty minutes later, she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where her mother was cooking breakfast.  
As part of her morning routine she picked up the plates, then started setting the table. Her mother brought over the food and kissed her husband, "Morning, mum, dad. Please don't do that when I'm still half asleep." this was all Nanoha could say to her parents before sitting down and drifting off into dreamland again.

Breakfast was quiet and after a while Nanoha got ready to leave for school, opening the front door she saw the face of her best friend Yuuno. "Yuuno-kun, good morning." Nanoha started running towards him, then grabbed his arm and started dragging him towards school.  
At the school gates Nanoha quickly found her friends waiting, all of them were there, "Suzuka-chan, Alisa-chan, Hayate-chan. Good morning. Did you wait long?" All of them were shaking their heads, then they greeted the cheerful Nanoha and the exhausted Yuuno.

The group of friends moved towards the High School building, inside they split up Yuuno took the stairs further up to the 3rd year hallway, Alisa and Suzuka turned to right towards their class. Only Hayate was left, and she too said her goodbye when Nanoha stood in front of her class.  
"See you at lunch, okay." Nanoha almost shouted at her friend, Hayate turned and in a teasing voice said, "You are sixteen years old, but you still act like a preschooler, when will you grow up?"

In the class room there was more noise than usual, there was a rumour that they were getting a transfer student today. The students were betting on whether it was a boy or a girl, there were even polls on the hair colour and personality. As the bell rang the excitement died down and the teacher entered. "Good morning class." The teacher started, then looking at all the exited faces, "Yes, a transfer student, all of you be nice to her. Come on in, Testarossa-san."  
The air was buzzing with excitement, the classroom door opened, a beautiful girl entered. Her long blond hair, braided down her back ending in a black ribbon, waved when she moved, slowly she faced the class.  
Nanoha swallowed hard at the sight of the girl, her eyes were red like molten lava, yet it appeared as if the fire had died out, not even a sizzle was left. Those red eyes revealed only sadness. the voice when she introduced herself as Fate was like a muted bell, her shoulders sagged and she replied only with a small almost inaudible sound when Nanoha greeted her.

Class moved along, and near the end the teacher had asked her to take care of the new girl. As lunch came around Nanoha decided to do just as the teacher instructed, but her invitation was brushed off. Not one to give up from such a small defeat Nanoha ploughed forward, grabbing her own lunch and following the girl out of the building.  
Walking behind Fate she could tell the girl was absolutely beautiful, the blond hair reached down to her waist. Her leg went on for miles, her butt had just the right shape and her arms were well toned. As Fate walked she seemed almost transparent, as a ghost of her former self.  
When they reached the back of the school Fate sat down in the shadow of tree, Nanoha slowly moved next to her and sat down. She chose that moment to speak to the blond girl with sad red eyes, "I want to be your friend, Fate-chan."

The response wasn't quite what she had expected, nor was she prepared for her own snappy reaction. Leaving the past behind she was getting ready to go home, when she saw Fate doing the same, something told her that she should follow the girl with the sad eyes.  
Trailing slightly behind, she was surprised to find that they at least for now were heading in the same direction. After walking for twenty minutes, they were in a residential area only a few blocks from Nanoha's home. Fate walked down the driveway of an average house, the yard was simple and the wall surrounding the house was white-topped with black tiles, common in this neighbourhood.  
This would be the moment, Nanoha thought to herself, "Could you spare something to drink? I'm actually quite thirsty..." As the words left her mouth she felt embarrassed, she had just told the girl a complete lie and with a straight face. The garage door opened and Fate walked inside, moments later she came back out with a bottle and tossed it to Nanoha. "Nyahahaha... Thanks." This was the best reply she could give in this situation.

Fate left again without saying a single word and Nanoha was left there fidgeting the bottle, wondering what to say to the other girl. Minutes passed and she thought that maybe Fate wasn't coming back, she tried to look into the garage but the darkness inside and the bright afternoon spring sun made it impossible.  
As she was getting ready to leave, Fate walked out of the garage dressed in coveralls and carrying a large toolbox. Nanoha grew more curious, for every second that went by, looking intently at the toolbox and then at Fate.  
The blue eyes met the red, and Nanoha spoke up, "I want to be your friend!" It was a clear statement, the words were said with such care and warmth that there could be no doubt about them. Fate looked at the girl that sounded like an angel, she couldn't reject her, yet it was clear that she didn't dare to accept those words out of fear of being hurt, "Goodbye. I will see you tomorrow at school." This was all Fate could say and Nanoha smiled, this was a good beginning, but nothing more. Now she could go home call her friends.

As Nanoha walked through her front door she found several more shoes than usual, a bit shocked she called out, "I'm Home!" There were noise coming from the kitchen, as she entered all her friends were there. "Nanoha! I want a good explanation for skipping our lunch! And for leaving us behind without saying goodbye!" Hayate said this in a stern and playful manner, Nanoha took a seat at the table, "Hi, uhmm... I uhmm... There is a new girl in my class, and I wanted to be friends with her so I followed her at lunch and after school."  
"So basically, you stalked the new girl." Alisa chimed in. Nanoha's face turned red, but she was saved when Suzuka countered, "Nanoha-chan was clearly concerned about this girl." After that conversation moved on Nanoha told her friends about Fate and then they talked about what they would do the next day. After an hour passed the gathering of friends broke up, Alisa and Suzuka had a violin lesson, Hayate had to go home to prepare for diner and Yuuno decided to walk Hayate home.

That night Nanoha thought about a certain blonde and why she was so sad, if anything she wanted to be there to help. Then she thought that it was odd, to be thinking so much of someone she barely knew. After awhile she grew tired, strange thoughts became more muddled and she closed her eyes to sleep.


	3. Footprints

**Footprints**

The morning light was streaming through the curtains and next to the bed a cellphone rang out mercilessly, Nanoha just pulled up the covers and begged for the noise and light to stop. To her miserable realisation that didn't happen. Quite the contrary, her mother barged through the door threw open the curtains and pulled the covers away in a swift motion and then in a motherly voice, "Nanoha, sweetheart, get up. You ordered an early breakfast, now _get up!_"  
Before Momoko could continue ranting at her sleepy daughter, the kitchen timer dinged. This of course was a relief to Nanoha for about one second, until she noticed the cold air in the room and her body started shivering.  
Five minutes later, she was downstairs and eating her breakfast. Then she put on her shoes and said goodbye to her parents, outside only the cold spring air greeted her. Yesterday Nanoha had agreed with her friends that she would go by Fate's house herself and walk to school with her, this prospect thrilled Yuuno because it meant he wouldn't need to take a ten minute detour to meet up.  
Walking along the road she quickly came to the right house, or so she thought, the name plate said Harlaown, not Testarossa. Looking up the driveway, she realised this was indeed the right place, just then a beautiful woman with teal hair left through the front door. As the woman walked to the car in the driveway, she spotted Nanoha standing in front of the house and waved her over.

"You must be one of Fate's classmates, I am her mother Lindy Harlaown" The teal haired woman introduces herself, confusion and embarrassment causes Nanoha to blush slightly as she replies, "My name is Nanoha Takamachi, yes I am a classmate of Fate and I live nearby." The teal haired woman smiles, "Well Nanoha-chan, I do hope you will be a good friend to Fate." Composing herself Nanoha replies, "Yes, of course!"  
The car left the driveway and Nanoha was standing alone, a question popped into her head, why wasn't the car parked in the garage? It wasn't a luxury car, but it still looked quite expensive.  
As the front door opened Nanoha was pulled from her thoughts, Fate walked the same path her mother had taken however she just looked at the ground not noticing the girl standing in the driveway, "Mou, Fate-chan, I'm not invisible am I?" Fate's head snapped up at the sudden question, her eyes looking around in fear. When she finally found the origin of the voice she looked down on the ground once again.  
As Fate walked down the driveway, Nanoha quickly tried to grab her arm, this however made the blonde push her and shriek in fear. As Nanoha recovered and tried to stand, she saw Fate running away, getting ready to follow a large hand grabbed her shoulder.

"Don't." The voice was stern and troubled; turning around Nanoha saw a young man with dark hair and dark blue eyes, probably a college student, "Huh? Ah. What?" was all that she could say to the young man. "I'm Chrono Harlaown, Fate's older brother." The young man introduced himself, seeing Nanoha staring in shock he continued, "I am sure you didn't mean to scare her, but recently old wounds have been reopened and Fate is afraid of sudden movements and physical contact. Please forgive her." His voice was filled with concern as he spoke. Letting go of Nanoha's shoulder, finally made her able to speak, "I am Nanoha Takamachi, it is nice to meet you Harlaown-san. By the way, where are your pants?" Nanoha blushed furiously as she realised what she had said, Chrono however took it in strides, "When I heard Fate scream, I ran out here from the bathroom, therefore, no pants. And by the way Harlaown was my father, call me Chrono." The swift and direct answer caused Nanoha to blush even more as she stammered out a reply, "Yes, Chrono-san." As Chrono turned to walk back inside he said his farewell to Nanoha and reminded her of the time.

Arriving just in time, Nanoha greeted her classmates and found to her dismay that Fate wasn't there yet. The teacher informed the class that Fate was in the infirmary with a twisted wrist and she would be back later, Nanoha however was sure it was a lie of convenience.  
In the short break after class she rushed to the infirmary hoping the blonde girl was still there, if she didn't apologise now it might be too late. Throwing the door open with loud bang, Nanoha walked inside. There sitting on the bed was a frightened girl with blonde hair, shivering like she was stuck in a blizzard. Nanoha could feel her heart break at sight of the girl; she moved to the girl and sat down near to her.

"Fate-chan, I am so sorry for scaring you this morning, and again right now. Please forgive me." The shivering girl couldn't do anything more than whimper. Nanoha wanted desperately to hold the blonde in a hug giving her comfort and warmth, but the words of Chrono made her hold back. Again Nanoha spoke to the girl, this time in a much calmer and soothing voice "Fate-chan, I really want to be your friend and right now all I want to do is make your fear go away." The girl on the bed calmed down a bit, and then tears fell down her cheeks. "Fate-chan, this morning I didn't know anything, but when I entered, I knew better then to slam the door open. This is all my fault, you don't have to be embarrassed about it, or feel sorry for what happened." With this Nanoha slowly got up from the bed went to the door, but before leaving she turned to the blonde, "Fate-chan, see you in class later." with this, she left.

As lunch started Nanoha was uncertain, she wanted to invite Fate, but the events of the morning made her hesitate. When the teacher left all her classmates started to gather around Fate asking her questions, the blonde was trying her best to keep up, but failing miserably. This was would be another opportunity she thought to herself, as Fate grew more uncomfortable Nanoha knew she had to step up and with a determined face, "_Fate-chan, would you like to eat lunch with me?_" Fate nodded and gave a meek reply, the rest of the class saw the truth, 'The White Demon' was none too happy about their crowding, as to why, well that didn't matter.  
The rest of class suddenly found their backpacks very interesting and started searching for something that would take at least a few minutes to find. Nanoha walked up to the blonde and with a smile told her that they should eat outside, as they left the tension in the classroom dissipated.

Nanoha walked through the school yard uncertain how to make the blonde open up, she hoped to have an idea before reaching the spot where she had tried to eat lunch with Fate before. This however was not to be and before she could think of anything they were already at their destination. Sitting down in shade she began to unpack her lunch when a small voice came from her side, "Thank you." That was all Fate could say at that moment, but to Nanoha it was very important.  
Between eating and glancing at the blonde, she tried to figure out how to start a conversation and then a small idea came to her, "Fate-chan." she said in a soft voice, "I met your mother and older brother this morning, they seem really nice." Fate turned to look at the other girl, then blushed, "Mm, thanks."  
As they ate their lunch in quietly Fate started to relax and respond with more than just a single word. When the bell signalling the end of the lunch break rang, Nanoha was about to jump up and run but she barely managed to stay still. She then slowly got up and offered a hand to Fate, the hand however wasn't used, instead Fate got up on her own but she had a shy smile on her face.  
Going back to the classroom Nanoha decided to this would be a good time to ask and so in a soft voice, "Fate-chan, could we walk home together after school?" Staring at the blonde she saw a small nod followed by a yes that could barely be heard.

As school ended, Nanoha packed her bag and turned to see Fate but to her surprise the blonde was nowhere to be seen. Thinking that the blonde might not feel up to a twenty minute walk with someone else Nanoha started to leave the classroom, as she did she ran into Hayate, "Nanoha-chan, I heard The White Devil woke up today." The blush on Nanoha's face should only be possible with a bucket of paint, "Or, should it be the _red_ devil." While Nanoha's blush was already in the realm of cartoons it still got worse, she turned to the owner of the voice, "White or red doesn't really matter, would you like an introduction? Hayate-_chan_." The other girl giggled and left quickly down the hall trying her best not to laugh, as it would send her straight to the floor.  
"Uh, what this white devil thing?" a small voice behind Nanoha spoke up. Turning around Nanoha saw the blonde standing there with a confused look on her face, "I used to be on the disciplinary-committee, and that's how I got the name." Well this wasn't a complete lie, being on that committee had caused the school to use the name, but it was actually older.  
Looking at the blonde she used all her willpower to calm down and then said, "Fate-chan, let's go home." Not giving the other girl a chance to speak up she started to walk down the stairs while the other girl followed her quietly.

Leaving the school behind most of the walk was in silence until Nanoha decided they should take a small break in a nearby park. Instructing Fate to sit on a bench she went to the vending machine, peeking at the blonde she couldn't help but notice just how beautiful the girl really was and that she had more life in her eyes. Slowly walking back, she started to wonder if the girl had an effect on her, she liked to be with Fate. Usually she would feel lonely when she was with her friends or her family, not that they didn't love her, but she was outside.  
But with Fate it was different, there she didn't feel alone although the girl didn't really speak, she could feel them connect. Walking back with drinks in her hands the blonde looked up, "How do you become friends?" The question was odd, but Fate's sincere look told her that she wanted a serious answer, "That is easy, Fate-chan, you say their name." Fate pondered this answer while accepting the drink Nanoha held out to her, then as after taking a sip she turned to face the other girl, "Thank you, Nanoha."  
Fate got up from the park bench and started walking staring intently at her feet; she was blushing but also had a shy smile on her face. Nanoha followed soon after, walking behind the other girl. As they reached Fate's house the blonde turned around and in a small voice, "Thank you for today, Nanoha." Then she walked to her front door leaving Nanoha behind.

"Well, this was certainly worth skipping work for." Nanoha turned around to face the speaker, "Harlaown-san." she started, but was cut off, "Harlaown-san, was my husband, you can call me Lindy, or if you prefer, Your Highness." At this Lindy started laughing. Nanoha was too stunned to speak for a moment, then getting her thoughts in order she replied in an exaggerated tone, "_Your Highness_, Lindy-san."  
"Good that's better, Chrono called me this morning and told what had happened, and I can see you already sorted things out." Lindy stopped for moment, clearly debating how much she should tell the girl in front of her, "Well, if you haven't guessed it already, Fate is adopted." The look on Nanoha's face was similar to finding a missing puzzle piece, suddenly more things started to make sense. Seeing the young girl understand Lindy continued, "Last year, my husband, Clyde, died. Well it wasn't pleasant and I miss terribly, but it was worse for Fate, as they were quite close." Lindy stopped to compose herself, then noticed that the young girl in front of her was crying, then she continued, "Don't cry for my sake, sweety. I knew it could happen and I had already made my peace with it. Clyde was a police officer, and with that both Chrono and I knew that one day he might not come home." Again Lindy took a deep breath and steadied herself before continuing, "Fate however, was not prepared to lose her father. That girl has suffered a lot in her life and Clyde was the one that brought her happiness."  
Nanoha looked at the teal haired woman, "Lindy-san, I want to be friends with Fate-chan; I know that she is scared, but I am not sure what I can do?" Lindy smiled and patted the young girl on the head, "Whatever you did today, it was brilliant. I haven't seen Fate so happy since her farther passed away. Thank you Nanoha-chan."

Once home Nanoha made her way to the kitchen to grab a snack, removing the lid from jar she reached in when a voice behind her made her freeze, "Nanoha don't spoil your dinner." Literally caught with her hand in the cookie jar, Nanoha turned around and faced her brother, "So nii-san wants one too? Well too bad, there's only one left and it's mine!" With this she ran to her room, leaving a stunned Kyouya behind.  
After skilfully dodging her brother and taking refuge in her room Nanoha looked at the spoils, one large chocolate chip cookie, she took out her cellphone and started texting her friends. This tranquillity was not to last, as an enraged Kyouya barged through the door, "When did my sister become so cruel, as to not share with her beloved older brother! I thought I raised you better than that!" Nanoha turned to her brother with a face of mock surprise, "Took you long enough to get here, _dearest_ nii-san." And with this she ate the cookie in one bite.

While eating diner, Miyuki was comforting her older brother, "Nii-san, it's not so bad it was just one cookie." Kyouya followed up with mock hurt, "This time it was a cookie, who knows what she will take next, my bank account, my girlfriend, my beloved sister Miyuki?" Just to make his point, Kyouya shed a few fake tears and Miyuki hugged her older brother stroking his head and shushing him.  
Not wanting to see more of this insane horror show Nanoha forcefully changed the conversation, "Say, nee-san, nii-san, do you know a Chrono Harlaown?" At this both sibling stopped their mock hurt-comfort game and look at their little sister, the parents also turned their full attention to their youngest daughter, "Isn't he the one marrying Amy Limietta, the one in your class nii-san?" Kyouya had a thoughtful look on his face and then in a teasing voice, "Well, there you have it the guy is spoken for, just give up." The stoic look on Nanoha however clearly indicated that his guess was far of the mark, "Chrono-san's sister is in my class, and I met him this morning, so I wanted to what he is like." The rest of the family each had different looks, Nanoha's father was clearly relieved, and her mother was somewhere between relief and disappointment. The older siblings just looked bored, "Well he is a good person I guess." Miyuki answered, "Amy wouldn't marry him if he was a bad person." And with Kyouya's answer the dinner returned to normal, leaving Nanoha to her thoughts.

That evening Nanoha cursed herself for not getting Fate's cellphone number. She wanted to call her and talk but it was impossible, so instead she decided to study. As clock on the wall indicated midnight, Nanoha crawled over to her bed and tucked herself in.  
Again strange thoughts overcame her, wondering why Fate was so important to her when they just met. Still those red eyes grabbed her heart and she knew that no matter what it was, Fate was a very important person to her. Slowly as her thoughts muddled sleep overcame her and before long she was snoring in her bed.


	4. Calling

**Calling**

A faint sunlight illuminated the room and on the table a cellphone was buzzing while playing merry melody. By the door stood a very angry woman, it was the fifth time this morning that she had come in here and now she was fed up. Pulling away the blanket and pillow Momoko emptied a bucket of water on her youngest daughter. Nanoha screamed in terror as the ice-cold water hit her face, flapping around she didn't know what had just happened and in her confusion she fell of her bed. Quickly making her way to the bathroom, Nanoha couldn't figure out what had happened. The light and large mirror in the bathroom did help her, she was soaked in water and shivering from the cold.

After a quick shower to heat her up, Nanoha got dressed and went downstairs. Her mother greeted her with a cheerful face, smiling like the summer sun and her father could barely contain his laughter. Eating her breakfast quietly, her father still shaking from the restraints on his laughter asked, "How was your morning sweetie?" Just as he said that all restraints failed and he started laughing extensively while banging his fist in the dining table. Momoko rushed over and took his hand while stroking his back, trying to calm her husband down.  
Nanoha knew there would be more teasing later, so she got up and left the table. Getting ready to go to school, she put on her shoes and grabbed her backpack. As she turned to say goodbye to her parents, she could hear her father laughing.

Walking down the street to her friend's house Nanoha spotted a teal haired woman picking up the newspaper, "Good morning, Lindy-san." She greeted the woman. Lindy turned to face her and returned the greeting. Yawning, Lindy tried to find the right words, failing that she just spoke bluntly, "Nanoha-chan, last night I told Fate what we had talked about. She wasn't exactly pleased with it, but she understands. I want her to tell you the rest when she is ready. So be a good friend to her and wait. Okay?"  
Nanoha nodded; of course she would wait for Fate to open up. Then a thought popped into her head, "Lindy-san, congratulations on your son's upcoming wedding." Lindy quickly thanked the girl and hugged her, and then she went back inside to call Fate.

Not even a minute passed before Fate walked out the door; Nanoha smiled to the girl and then started walking next to her. As they slowly made their way to school, Nanoha recalled last night's frustrations and she decided that the here and now was the best time to ask, "Ne, Fate-chan, can I have your cellphone number?"  
The blonde turned to her with a puzzled look, Nanoha was uncertain what it meant and started rambling, "Ah, eh, I'm not thinking of doing anything bad with it..." The look on Nanoha's face said '_I didn't ask for her panties, stupid me!_' Fate giggled and then meekly replied, "No."  
The shock on Nanoha's face was worse than when her mother had dumped water on her, Fate noticed this and gathered her courage and spoke up, "well, Nanoha, I never needed a cellphone before, so I don't have one..." Fate's voice trailed off and she suddenly found her feet very interesting.

Nanoha thought it was a bit funny at first but then realised that it meant Fate never had any friends to call before, just how bad was her childhood she wondered. Again Nanoha had to battle her desire to hug the blond girl and after a few moments reason won out.  
"Fate-chan, you need one now don't you?" With that she handed the blonde her cellphone and told her to call her mother and get permission, "Then we can get you one after school." Nanoha watched as the blonde girl took her phone and dialled her mother, after a very brief conversation Fate hung up the phone.  
Nanoha took her phone back and placed it in her backpack, then looked at the blonde girl. "She said it was about time, and told me not to come home until I had a cellphone." Fate was staring at the ground she was blushing slightly. But she was smiling, and for the first time, Nanoha saw the red eyes fizzle with life, the volcano was waking up.

Walking next to Fate, Nanoha greeted her friends at the gate and asked if they had any magazines with cellphone commercials she could borrow. Taking the magazines from her friends, she continued to her classroom with the blonde.  
During the first break she moved her chair to sit next to Fate and placed the magazines in front of the girl. Fate stared blankly at the glossy pages, she clearly had no idea what the different abbreviations meant and the multitude of colours didn't help.  
Finally Fate spotted one that she liked and she asked Nanoha to tell her about it. It was a black clamshell model with straight lines and gold trimmings. As Nanoha started to explain about the phone, she couldn't help but notice fulfilled look on Fate's face.

As bell indicated it was lunch time, Nanoha got up from her seat and turned to the girl next to her. After inviting Fate to lunch, the two girls made their way outside. Walking slowly to their favourite spot, Nanoha once again found herself studying the blonde girl.  
She has really long eyelashes and those lips look like candy, no matter what she did those thoughts kept popping in to Nanoha's mind. Deciding that it wasn't important, she left those thoughts behind and sat down next to Fate. The two girls unpacked their lunches and talked about nothing and everything. After a while they done eating and the topic of their conversation changed to what they would do in the afternoon.  
Slowly a plan took shape; they would look in different stores first, and then grab a bite to eat and finally go and buy the cellphone.

As the math lesson moved along in what seemed like snail pace, Nanoha sat at her desk doodling and thinking of the afternoon to come. When she finally looked at her notebook, it was filled with drawings of Fate in different outfits.  
The teacher kept droning on and Nanoha returned to her doodling. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting; class was dismissed and as she looked at her notebook once more, this time she blushed slightly, the drawings were once again of Fate but this time in less fabric and more suggestive poses. Nanoha quickly tore out the page crushed it to ball, sticking the ball in her backpack she got ready for her next lesson.  
The last lessons for the day were all accompanied by Nanoha doodling and Fate peering at drawings, to the blondes surprise Nanoha didn't once look at the paper.

As the two girls left school they walked towards the shopping district, Fate had a faint smile on her lips and she moved more naturally. Soon they reached the first store, it carried many cellphone models and Fate was awed by the variety.  
Looking around she soon found the model from the magazine and it was even better in real life, than on the glossy pages. Nanoha had known that their plan would fall apart in the first store, so she had taken the blonde girl to a place where she knew they had good call plans.  
Taking charge she quickly grabbed a clerk and got the paperwork ready, filling out part of form she dragged Fate from the display stand and made sure she filled out the rest. In less than a minute Fate became the proud owner of a new cellphone.

Walking down the street Fate carried her newest possession cradled in her arms and a smile on her face. Again Nanoha noticed that the red eyes fizzling with life, it wasn't much but it still made her very happy.  
"Fate-chan, do you want to find a place to eat here, or would you like to come to my parents' café?" Fate started thinking for a minute, but before she could answer Nanoha spoke up again, "I already called them and said that they shouldn't crowd us too much."  
The blonde girl then nodded in agreement and they walked towards 'Midori-ya Café'. The road went slightly uphill, after ten minutes they were getting close to their destination. Fate peeked at the girl next to her; she had beautiful blue eyes and long auburn hair, tied in a high off-centre ponytail.

As the two girls entered the café Momoko's motherly instincts told her, that she would have to get her camera out. Her daughter was smiling and the blonde girl next to her looked sad, but still had a natural smile. Quietly she got a few photos of the girls and then went to introduce herself.  
Momoko made her introduction short, the glaring from her daughter told her not to linger and after taking their orders she quickly made her way to the kitchen. Squealing could be heard from the kitchen along with a male voice commenting.  
Moments later Momoko came back to the table with the girls orders. Again she lingered but a menacing glare from her daughter made run away, laughing. Once at a safe distance she picked up her camera and took more photos, all of them would be put to good use she thought.

As Fate took a bite from the cake a look serene bliss overcame, she was clearly in heaven floating on the clouds. Nanoha used the time to hook up the charger for Fate's new phone; handing the cord to the blonde the phone soon indicated that it was being charged.  
Looking at the thick manual for the phone Fate wondered if she would have to read all of it, then as if Nanoha had read her mind the auburn haired girl spoke up, "Most of it won't matter, Fate-chan. Just use it as a reference book when you want to learn about something." Nodding Fate returned to the cake and started eating.  
As the girls finished eating Nanoha once again asked for Fate's phone number, after a quick instruction on swapping number via infrared both girls now had each other's numbers. Then Nanoha proceeded to teach how to manually input phone numbers.

The girls walked home and Nanoha continued to teach about the functions of the phone. As they reached the Harlaown residence, Chrono came out to greet them and Nanoha congratulated him on his upcoming wedding.  
Chrono was pondering something, when he suddenly asked, "Fate, you don't have a date for my wedding, do you?" Before Fate could say anything Chrono continued, "Nanoha-san, I would like it if you came to the wedding as well, together with Fate. You have helped my sister a lot and this would make things easier." As he said this Chrono handed the girl an invitation and walked back inside.  
Both girls blushed at the sudden boldness and after composing herself Nanoha spoke up, "Ne, Fate-chan, if you want I would gladly escort you for your brother's wedding. If you're up for it remember to tell him that we will both be joining, and send me a text, okay?" With this she said her farewell and left.

Nanoha walked through the front door and greeted her family, there was no immediate reply instead hushed voices clattering chairs. As she entered the kitchen her face turned red, there on the table was a multitude of photos. Photos of her and Fate, in the café.  
Her older sister Miyuki made no attempt to hide them and instead walked over to a stunned Nanoha, showing her a photo with Fate smiling, "So Nanoha, this is your new friend~" Miyuki cooed, she was smiling like the Cheshire-cat and soon Kyouya moved in, "Where you on a date~" He said while showing Nanoha a photo of the two girls sitting close and smiling.  
The youngest girl however was not going down without a fight, "Yeah, I just k-kissed her goodbye!" Nanoha tried to deliver the line smoothly, but she failed miserably stuttering and blushing at the same time.

After teasing Nanoha for a few more hours and eating dinner, the older siblings hugged her and went to their rooms. Only her mother was left in the kitchen and Nanoha took the opportunity to remove the already printed photos as well as the memory card.  
Sitting in front of her laptop Nanoha started to sift through the photos and she found one that she would absolutely get, it was a photo of Fate with a beautiful smile. Then she found another photo, with both of smiling and looking happy. She used the printer to make copies of the photos; they would make Lindy and Chrono very happy she thought.  
With all of this settled Nanoha started to do her homework, only to find that the notebooks were covered in drawings and not a single hint of what had occurred in class that day. With a sigh Nanoha returned the notebooks and instead went over the pages in her textbook trying to go over the parts she should have learned today.

As the clock on the wall moved along, Nanoha was desperate to finish as much of her homework as possible before going to bed. Nanoha decided to spend the rest of the evening texting her friends to let them know how things are going with Fate.  
The replies where all encouraging and when she mentioned the wedding they all agreed that she should attend. Just as she had ended the conversations with her friends, she received a new text. As she opened her phone she could see that it was from a certain blonde,  
'Dear Nanoha, I was quite embarrassed to write this, but it would be much worse in person. I told my brother that you would attend the wedding with me. Thank you for today I had a lot of fun. Fate.'  
Nanoha stared at the little screen for five minutes before typing a reply,  
'Fate-chan, thanks for letting me, go with you to the wedding, see you tomorrow morning. Goodnight. Nanoha.'

As she lay in her bed, Nanoha found herself thinking about the smiling blonde she had spent time with during the day. When the clock on the wall indicated midnight, she closed her eyes and started to drift off. Thought about the day became vague and all that remained was a pair of fizzling red eyes. Then soon they disappeared and she drifted off into dreamland.


	5. Markings

**Markings**

"Soooo~ Tiiireeed~" Nanoha groaned and complained again, she really hadn't slept at all. Last night just as she closed her eyes and drifted off, a dog had barked in the distance. Then a few minutes later it cat, after that an owl and finally a raccoon tipped a trash bin somewhere...  
Now it was five thirty in the morning and the sunlight didn't even reach her window. Getting out of bed Nanoha pulled the curtains away, only to be greeted by dense rain clouds. After getting dressed she went downstairs and made herself breakfast, as her mother came down Nanoha got ready to leave. She said goodbye and left the house.  
Walking the short distance to Fate's house, she took out her phone to check the time. She was a little earlier than usual, but nothing unreasonable. Just as she was about to turn the corner in front of her, a large red dog appeared, the surprise sent Nanoha falling to the ground.

Nanoha landed on her butt, the dog approached and started licking her face. Hidden behind the dog someone turned the corner, and then started pulling on the lead, "Arf! BAD DOG! Don't assault the neighbours." Looking up Nanoha saw a pair of red eyes and long blonde hair, "Ah, Fate-chan, good morning. Is it your dog?"  
Fate was shocked, her precious dog had tripped her dear friend and the brunette was covered in dog drool. Getting up from the ground, Nanoha continued to pet the large dog, "Fate-chan, could I borrow something to wipe my face with." Nanoha looked at the shocked blonde; she waited a moment then took out a handkerchief and wiped her face.  
Fate was still in shock, wondering if her only friend would now leave her and how she should apologise to the brunette, "Eh, Nanoha-chan. I am so sorry about that. Are you okay? Arf doesn't normally do things like that. Are you hurt?"

Nanoha couldn't help but giggle at the blonde's desperate expression, then after calming her down she was properly introduced to the dog. Arf is a mixed breed, she was found by Fate four years ago.  
By now, the head was more than one metre off the ground and the dog had a very friendly disposition. As Fate talked about the giant red canine, the two girls approached the Harlaown residence.  
Once inside, Fate called out to her mother and went to change into her school uniform. Nanoha walked into the kitchen and found Lindy at the table reading the newspaper. Greeting the teal haired woman Nanoha sat down across from her and handed her photos taken in the café.

Looking at the photos Lindy started crying, the bright smile on her daughter made so happy and she hugged Nanoha tightly, "Thank you, Nanoha, You don't know how much this means to me. I hope that someday, I can repay you for this." With this Lindy left the kitchen.  
She got up to leave the kitchen when Arf entered, the large dog then started to nuzzle Nanoha. After a few minutes, Fate came back dressed in her school uniform and apologised to Nanoha for being slow. Leaving the large dog behind both girls started walking to school and talked about what they were going to do later; Nanoha suggested that they should have lunch with her friends.  
When they walked through the school gate, Nanoha greeted her friends and made plans to eat lunch with them.

The fourth period ended and the weather took a turn for the worse, it had started raining. Nanoha took out her lunch and looked at blonde next to her; she then left the classroom with her friend. Meeting up in the cafeteria Nanoha secured a table, while Yuuno and Hayate went to get drinks.  
After a proper introduction of Fate, they started eating and a lively atmosphere spread around the table. Nanoha was catching up with Yuuno, Alisa and Suzuka were off in their own little world and then Hayate turned to Fate, "So, Fate-san. What do you want from Nanoha?" There was enough venom and malice in the question for even a rock to notice. Fate looked down on her hands and tears stained her eyes. Composing herself, she turned to Hayate with determination in her eyes, "A-a, friend." This was the best answer she could give.  
Hayate pondered the answer for a bit, and then looked at Fate, "Good, Fate-san. I approve." Hayate was smiling and let Fate know she had passed the test.

Walking home from school, Nanoha had decided that all of them should go to 'Midori-ya Café'. The pouring rain did nothing to dampen their spirits and soon they walked down the shopping street. Nanoha soon stopped the others looked at her; she apologised and stepped into a small shop, a few minutes later she came back out.  
As they continued walking, Fate was sagging behind and Alisa moved next to the blonde. She told her to pick up the pace and lightly slapped her back. Fate screamed in terror, she sat down and started crying. This shocked the group of friends, Nanoha quickly went to her friend and sat down next to her.  
Then she apologised to her friends and told them to go on without them. Fate sat there in the rain, crying like a small child and all Nanoha could do was hold her umbrella. Several minutes passed and Nanoha received a text from Hayate, 'Alisa slapped Fate on the back and told her to pick up the pace. I don't know what happened but I just said it was that time of the month. Hayate.'

As Fate sat in the rain crying, all Nanoha wanted to do was hug and comfort the crying blonde. She found it was easier to restrain herself by texting Hayate, thanking her for cover-up. Moments later she received a text from her mother. Momoko had heard the story from her friends and she told her daughter to take care of Fate.  
Almost an hour had passed and Fate was able to move again, slowly the two girls made their way towards Fate's house.  
The only thing Nanoha could do for her friend was hold the umbrella and talk to her in a soothing voice. Nanoha was soaked by the time they made it to the blonde's house, she didn't notice however as she focused all her energy on her friend.

Once inside they were greeted by a solemn Arf, who just walked in front of her master and led them to Fate's bedroom. As they got inside Nanoha helped her friend get undressed and they removed the blondes shirt. Nanoha saw her friends back, horrible scars covered it. She gasped at the sight. Then helped remove the bra and change the blonde into her sleepwear.  
Fate was still crying when Nanoha tucked her in, as the blonde fell asleep Nanoha realised that she was soaked and freezing. Leaving Arf to take care of the blonde, she walked into the hallway and bumped into Chrono. He quickly pointed her to the shower and told her he would find some dry clothes.

After a long soak in the warm tub, Nanoha went to get dressed there she found a pair of oversized sweatpants and a large knitted sweater. She resigned herself to dress in the strange combination, her clothes were in the dryer and this insane outfit would have to do.  
After her hair was dry, she put it in a ponytail and left the bathroom. Chrono was waiting for her in the kitchen, as she walked in he handed her a cup of tea and asked her to take a seat. Drinking her tea, she told him what had happened.

She wanted to ask about the scars on Fate's back, but knew that he wouldn't answer. She answered more of Chrono's questions, but there was little else she could tell him. With the text from her mother in mind she asked him if it would be alright to stay the night with Fate.  
Chrono thought about it and agreed to the idea. He would also told her that he would tell Lindy what had occurred. Nanoha went to the bedroom and sat in front of a sleeping Fate; she placed her head on the bed and soon started to drift off.

Lindy quietly opened the door, Arf was curled up near the foot of bed and Nanoha was sitting on the floor next to Fate. As she entered the room Nanoha looked at her, thanking the girl she left to get a blanket. Wrapping the blanket around Nanoha, the girl quickly fell asleep.

Fate woke up in a dark room; the last thing she remembered was walking down the shopping street with Nanoha and her friends. Looking around, she saw Nanoha was next to her. Studying the sleeping brunette, her heart skipped a beat. Then she remembered what had happened, she had cried in the street for a long time. Nanoha had sat next to her holding the umbrella.  
Her face turned red from the embarrassment, then she noticed that she was wearing a pyjamas. Mortified by her recollection Fate blushed in an even darker shade of red. Nanoha had seen her naked, she had helped her change. She had seen the scars on her back.

The brunette stirred and looked around with sleepy eyes. When Fate looked into the blue eyes, she realised again just how pretty they were. The girls looked at each other, Fate was ashamed of what had happened and Nanoha was ashamed of what she was wearing. They blushed and looked away, then slowly faced each other again.  
Fate was about to speak up when Nanoha interrupted, "Fate-chan, I saw the scars on your back. If you want to talk I will always be there to listen." Fate was visibly relived, she didn't want to remember that story. Then the brunette continued in a lighter tone, "But in return, Fate-chan, you shall _never _mention what I'm wearing now." Fate giggled, then the two girls started laughing.

The door opened and Lindy walked in, relived to find her daughter laughing she turned on the lights. she then told the girls that there was dinner prepared for them in the kitchen.  
The two girls walked into the kitchen, ready for them was a large dinner and they immediately started eating. Arf was also in the kitchen, wolfing down her dinner and when her bowl was empty Arf went to her basket to sleep.  
While cleaning the dishes, Fate noticed a memo and started reading it.

'_There is ice cream in the freezer and cookies in cupboard,  
Strawberries in the fridge and cake in the cabinet,  
Eat and eat some more,  
Till even the dog is ashamed!  
_~Lindy~'

Fate started laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face. Nanoha looked confused at the blonde that was struggling to point at the note. Nanoha read the note and she too went down.  
Lindy was standing in the doorway with Chrono; she then turned to her son and asked, "Is my poetry really _that_ bad?" All her son could do was nod while trying to contain his laughter

When the two girls were finally able to stop laughing, they finished doing the dishes and then started getting the dessert ready. Nanoha arranged everything on a tray and Fate went to find a movie to watch. Nanoha carried the tray precariously to her friend's bedroom and started arranging it on the table, then Fate returned with three movies.  
The final choice of movie was left to Nanoha, there were two comedies and by the looks of it, the only two comedies in the house. As she looked them over neither was really that interesting and she had seen both before. When she looked at the third movie, Nanoha noticed her friend had glittering eyes. The title was '_Terminator 2_' she knew the title from somewhere, but she couldn't quite place it.  
Then she remembered, several years ago Alisa made them watch the first movie. It was clear that this was Fate's choice and from what Nanoha could remember she liked it enough, to watch the sequel with her friend.

Fate started the movie and sat next to Nanoha, while eating the ice cream the two girls glanced at each other. Nanoha was not that interested in the movie, she spent most of the time eating and looking at the blonde. Seeing that Fate was enjoying herself, Nanoha started to study the room.  
There wasn't much in the room at all, besides the bare minimum of furniture and of course the large bed. On the desk there were a two framed pictures, one was a childhood photo of Fate and next to that a picture of her adoptive father.  
As the movie came to an end, the two girls decided to go to bed. Nanoha suggested that she could sleep on the couch in the living room, but Fate wouldn't hear of it. After much arguing back and forth, Fate made the final decision: They would both sleep in the bed.  
Once in bed with the lights off, both girls quickly fell asleep.


End file.
